


we played a personal game (with the world)

by Jen425



Series: A Hundred Heroes Welcome You Home [84]
Category: Kamen Rider - All Media Types, Kamen Rider Zero-One, Tokusatsu
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Idk what to tag this as, Platonic Kissing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2020-10-01
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:14:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26667298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jen425/pseuds/Jen425
Summary: The aftermath of the fight, and a conversation
Relationships: Hiden Aruto & Horobi, Hiden Aruto & Izu, Horobi & Jin (Kamen Rider Zero-One)
Series: A Hundred Heroes Welcome You Home [84]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1782238
Comments: 10
Kudos: 31
Collections: Tokusatsu Kisses Flash Ficathon 2020





	we played a personal game (with the world)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [oneatatime](https://archiveofourown.org/users/oneatatime/gifts).



> So I have. A lot of feelings about Zero-One still.
> 
> I hope you like what I did with your prompt!

The aftermath of the fight is so much harder than the fight itself, Aruto thinks. His rage empties, and yes, his resolve and his dream returns, but other things don’t.

Other things like Is, he tries not to think as he watches Horobi reunite with the remade Jin.

He shouldn’t be here, it’s too personal, and yet as the one with legal rights to all Humagear, he has to be, had to watch the man he killed reunite with his broken and repentant father, the tears, the hugging.

He’s smiling, he knows, and mostly it’s true, but the guilt and the grief lay heavy in his mind all the same.

He can’t help but clench his hand around the empty Humagear key in his pocket.

  
  
  


Fittingly, he’s staring at the same key when Horobi arrives in his office a few days later.

“Zero-One,” Horobi says in greeting before stalling. Aruto vaguely notices that he’s changed his outfit.

“Horobi,” he says, surprised.

“I… should thank you,” he says. “Even after everything, you… you never turned your malice to anyone but me. That’s more than I can say.”

Oh? They’re having this conversation? Well…

“Even that was wrong of me,” Aruto admits. “You were as much a victim as any of us.”

“Victims do not plan genocides,” Horobi says, and…

“You were the closest to the Ark,” Aruto counters. “I should have guessed it would take you time to unlearn what it stood for.”

“That’s not—”

“I hear guilt helps no one,” Aruto interrupts. “I already told you, I believe in Metsubojinrai’s new aims.”

Horobi looks away.

“I can’t forget,” he says. “Not when Ark and I both took people from you who you can never get back.”

Aruto sighs, standing with the Secretary Is key still in his hand.

He thinks about Is, about his father.

His dad had believed in a world of unity, just like he himself does. In different ways, he’d died for Aruto and by Ark’s actions twice. But Aruto had made peace with that during the incident with Zi-O.

Is…

A part of him, maybe, is still angry at Horobi for that one, and yet… she’d been there to save Horobi, and Aruto can’t forget that, either. Because she had grown her own dream out of his.

“I haven’t forgotten, either,” he admits. “But I don’t blame you.”

Whirring, the sound of a Humagear’s thoughts as Aruto stands directly in front of the other Rider.

“Grief and trauma are volatile things,” he says. “We’ve both seen Humagear hacker and used by Ark for it, instead of choosing. And it hurt every time to watch.”

More whirring, breaks in Horobi’s face.

“You truly are one of the best humans,” he says.

Aruto shrugs.

“I’m sure there are far better,” he says. “I just had the right opportunities.”

“I see,” Horobi says. “I guess you’re right. I think… any father would be proud of you.”

Aruto doesn’t know why that comment make him beam so much. He’d seen his father briefly in ZEA, after all.

And yet…

“Thank you,” he says. “Any child would be happy to have a father like you, who learns from his mistakes.”

Now it’s Horobi’s turn to pause.

“I…” he offers. “Thank  _ you _ , Zero-One.”

And he leans forwards, surprising Aruto and perhaps himself too by leaving a small kiss on his forehead.

Aruto is silent in the moments after, as is Horobi.

“Call me Aruto,” he manages to say at last, however. “I mean, we  _ will _ be working with one another to some extent, now.”

Horobi nods, face now once again blank.

“I look forwards to it… Aruto,” he says. “We will see each other.”

Aruto smiles, nodding, and Horobi leaves without another word.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
